Wedding Dress (eng)
by thebeautifuldamned
Summary: In an outpouring of unspeakable suffering, she turned her heels and walked up the aisle that would lead her once again to the man to whom she had just said yes, in front of a hundred people; abandoning behind her, the man with whom she was madly in love.


_ wedding dress

**March 23, 2008 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

A bouquet of white roses. There she was, at the edge of the church gates, these flowers in her hands and from the moment her brown irises landed on her figure, he would have breathless. This long white dress perfectly matched her delicious shapes and the little make-up that hung on her skin highlighted her soft features; and in his ribcage, his heart trembled so hard that he was frightened that he would escape. The notes of the piano rose in the air, adding such a tender touch to the stage and he felt his tingling that he hated so much at the corner of his eyelids.

She stood slowly up the aisle, giving smiles to the guests who crossed her gaze; she seemed so happy at that moment that it broke her heart. Near her, on her arm, a large redhead, a little wrapped, greeted the crowd, a pink hue on her cheeks; he had been appointed to play the role of the late father, a war hero. It was a tender image that was open to all. Anyone in this room could have pointed the finger at this complicity, this invisible bond, which connected these two young adults; It's been so long.

A pearl formed at the corner of her prunes and she went down her rough cheek; but he doesn't say anything. Her mother's delicate hand swept away that tear, caressing with her little boy's skin turned man. He gave her a little smile on her corner, wanted reassuring, but clumsy, and took a breath.

**September 22/23, 1987 - Hidden Village of the Leaf, Land of Fire**

Half a second; his brown irises were confronted with the infant's red dish yaded and round face. His shrill cry rocked all the sounds of the universe and silenced the groans of pain that had been ringing in the room for several hours; in a delicate gesture, he was placed on the chest of the woman who had just given birth to him and she surrounded him with her frail and trembling arms. He could not look away; this image would surely remain in his memory for a million years, the image of the woman he was madly in love with and the fruit of their love, the fruit of a passionate night in which they had loved each other, over and over again. The tip of his fingers came into contact with the baby's skin and a wobbly smile crept over his lips; a few tears beaded at the corner of his eyelids.

\- « i.. » he began « i.. »

A flood of emotion overflowed his mind, a stream of emotion on which he would have liked to put words, but he could not find the right ones; yet, for God's sake, he had some to say. He would have liked to have told her that he always found her so beautiful, even after hours in suffering, he would have liked to tell her that he was a thousand times more in love than the day before, he would have liked to tell her that she made him terribly happy, at that moment; his heart was pounding in his chest, so much so that he expected to have a heart attack any moment. His wife's delicate hand slipped against his rough cheek and he plunged into his gaze; yes, that look, he was madly in love with it.

\- « i love you » she breathed, in a tender impulse  
\- « me too, Yoshino » he replied « me too »

In a gentle gesture he leaned slightly forward and touched his son's wet forehead with his lips; surely that he was a little afraid of hurting her, he seemed so fragile at that moment. Then, although they were not such a demonstrative couple, he placed his lips on those of his lover, stealing a passionate kiss from him; because at that moment he needed to tell her so much. He fondled his bordélique brown locks tenderly, a smile on his face; a look inundated with such pure love.

\- « i'll be right back » he quipped

And after a last glance at the two most beautiful things which had been given to him to see, throughout his life, he pulled himself out of the room; the doctors were busy around his wife and their beautiful baby, cleaning up the slight mess. The door slaped abruptly behind him, but he did not pay attention to the noise; his trembling hands passed through his brown locks and he took an inspiration, his eyes fogged. Who would have thought that he, Shikaku Nara, would one day be the father of a handsome boy? Who would have thought that the idiot he was, would one day marry such a beautiful woman? Tears rolled down his cheeks for a moment; for a short time and he wiped them off with a clumsy backhand.

\- « fuck, i'm a dad » he exclaimed « i have a son »

The sound of his voice was heard in the empty hallway and a big smile distorted his face; he was there and he was happy. A door slaped, a few yards from him, and he confronted a figure he knew well; arms raised to the ceiling, a smile on his lips, he seemed about to burst into tears.

\- « i'm a dad » he heard « i have a little princess »

Her blonde locks twirled to the rhythm of her little jumps; the smile on the brown's lips only grew larger, and when he crossed the bluish prunes of his best friend, he raised an inch in the air. They knew each other from the academy bench, they had grown up together; they had constantly supported each other, supported each other. This damn red thread of fate bound them, was crazy about it; who would have thought that their wives would get pregnant and give birth to their children at the same time? The blond's footsteps cut him off in his haphazard thoughts, and his body collided with his; he closed his arms around his friend's slightly trembling body and smiled, gently patting his back.

\- « congratulations, Inoichi » blew the brown, in the hollow of his ear  
\- « congratulations, Shikaku » let go of the blond, at the same time

The two immature teenagers had yielded to two men; two fathers. The young Yamanaka sniffed loudly, snatching a little brown laugh; he gently pushed his friend away, his hands on his shoulders, and arched an amused eyebrow.

\- « well, are you crying, man ? » he laughed, openly  
\- « listen, i-.. » began the blond  
\- « Shikaku, come back here for god's sake » cut them off with a female voice

The expression on the face of the brown changed automatically; that was the effect of the sound of his wife's voice on him. When she was around, he was no longer that tall man, that gifted shinobi, this guy covered in scars; he was no more than a husband, who clumsily tried not to attract the wrath of the woman he had married. An amused smile crept over the blond's lips and he arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his torso.

\- « Shikaku, hurry up » she exclaimed « i push for hours and he allows himself to go fool in the corridors, what took me to marry this idiot ? »

A laugh escaped from the Yamanaka's lips and he gently patted his comrade's back; the brunette's character had always made her laugh. They were so different, but complemented each other so well; was really beautiful about it. The Sigh of Nara died between his lips and he passed a hand in his brown locks.

\- « it will never change » he said  
\- « that's why you love her, Shikaku » launched the blond

Surely he would have liked to have told her that he did not, but his comrade was right; he loved that piece of woman for all the things that characterized her. A small smile crept on his lips and he rushed into the room, quickly greeting the blond. They were no longer teenagers, but fathers; a touch of pride crept into the blond's bowels and he drew a smile, disappearing in turn, in a room where the woman he loved, waited patiently for him with their little wonder. Who would have thought it, huh?

**April 11, 1990 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

The squeak of a small plastic duck hit the walls when he crushed his foot on it; a slight grunt escaped from his lips and he bent down, catching him between his fingers. With an amused smile on his face, he walked down the corridor and swung a huge smile at his wife, rushing into the drawing-room; he placed the toy on the coffee table and ran into the mellow sofa. A cup of steaming tea was waiting for him at the corner of the table and he laid a chaste kiss on the cloak of his lover's lips, a kind of silent "thank you"."

\- « have you found him again, in the hallway ? » she asked, referring to the toy  
\- « yes, obviously. Shikamaru really doesn't like it » he said

His brown gaze confronted for a moment the bluish prunes of his best friend, on the other side of the coffee table and an amused smile crept over his lips; red cheeks, the blond laid his cup of tea on the wood, a disappointed look on his face. It took him hours to pick this damn toy for his "nephew" and that's what was going on.

\- « but this is the one i offered him » he quipped, disgruntled  
\- « you're really bad at gifts, old man » shouted the brown

Yoshino's hand slammed brutally against his forearm and he smothered a groan between his lips; an arched eyebrow, he turned his face towards the brunette, who was quietly drinking his tea.

\- « why did you hit me, my love ? » he asked  
\- « you're laughing, when you're not better Shikaku » shunked the brunette « you, who gave a knife to your son, three years old, a week ago »

A growl escaped from the brown's lips and he crossed his arms on his torso, scowling on the sofa; the laughter of his best friend ran into the walls and he pointed an amused finger at the brown, which looked away, a few shades of pink on his rough cheeks.

\- « a knife, really ? » said the blond, between two laughs  
\- « yes, good, shup up » he exclaimed

But his wife's hand struck again against her slightly reddened skin and a sulky pout crept over her face; he grumbled a lot of incomprehensible things in his beard, under the amused gaze of his best friend. A hydrangeof of a handsome chestnut crept into a chair and gave Yoshino a big smile, also amused by the situation; the two men became teenagers again when they found themselves in the same room. Her hazelnut-skinned prunes landed on a corner of the room and she arched an eyebrow.

\- « say, are you sure it's the right time ? » she asked « shouldn't we wait a few more years ? they are still children »  
\- « just, Hinae ; they are children, they will learn to live together more easily if we get them used early enough » explained the brown, coming out of his sulk  
\- « don't worry, i've been supporting Shikaku for years ; our little baby will do the same with these two boys » said her husband, catching his hand in his

The traditional Japanese house, usually so adult, had been designed to accommodate a baby, a few years back; a small part of the living room served as a playground for their son, although he particularly cared for his father on that side, preferring a good nap to a few toys. A smile crept on to the lips of the brown as his ebony prunes slipped on her son's brown hair; he was dozing, sitting, while on the other hand, a blonde hairwasher was playing happily with some dolls.

The sound of a slamming door snatched him at his contemplation and he smothered a yawn between his lips; a somewhat coated redhead rushed into the room, a child in his arms. He sketched an amused smile and pointed a finger at his comrade, whose wife was following; they fell on two chairs, which were lying there.

\- « say, Chôza ; you're damn late » exclaimed the brown  
\- « my little guy was hungry, sorry » awkwardly apologised the redhead

The child held his body coated with his father and all the people of his clan; after all, the Akimichi somehow drew their strength from food. In a delicate gesture, Chôza got on both feet and approached the two children, in a corner of the room; he laid his son on the carpet and hurried to join the adults, his prunes touching the silhouettes of the three children. He wanted to say something, but the leader of the Yamanaka clan told him to shut up; his little being was moving.

In a clumsy outburst, the little girl hoisted herself to both feet, staggering to the little brown that was still drowsy; she seemed to be waiting for something, for a brief moment, her bluish prunes were lost on this child who was not moving. Then, suddenly, she grabbed the tiny ponytail he had on his head and pulled it hard, snatching it from Morpheus's arms; brown's tears ran into the walls of the room and a grimace crept over Shikaku's lips. His wife laid a delicate hand behind her back, an amused smile on her lip corner.

\- « doesn't it remind you of anything ? » she said « when i hit you, when we first met ? »

He grumbled something in his beard and pointed a menacing finger at his blonde-haired best friend.

\- « you » exclaimed the brown « watch out what your daughter does to my little boy »  
\- « she doesn't do anything, she's having fun, that's all » replied the blond  
\- « have fun ? by tearfully melting my son ? »  
\- « what's going on ? all he has to do is defend himself to see, that i'll beat him up »  
\- « and why don't i beat your daughter while we're at it, huh ? »

A sigh escaped from the lips of Nara's wife and she crushed her forehead in the palm of her hand, exhausted from her husband's idiocy when he was in the same room as her two best friends; at least the third did not participate. Chôza smiled, noticing that the little brown man's crying had been heard, the moment his son had handed out his bottle still full to the whiner. He crossed his arms on his torso, proud of his little boy; yes, surely there would be a second Ino-Shika-Chô formation.

**January 3, 1993 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

In a clumsy outburst, he smothered a yawn between his lips and properly adjusted the shoulder strap of his bag; He hated it, the places where a lot of people hung out, where a lot of unpleasant noises mingled. He clashed with his mother's brown gaze and she bent down for a brief moment, touching the little boy's cheek with the tip of her lips; a grimace crept over the brown's face and he gently pushed her away, which amused her mother greatly.

\- « stop mommy » he growled « no kisses, there are people »  
\- « oh » she blew, a sad pout on her face

A false sadness; she knew her son, by heart, he had inherited this all too proud side of his father, from this impassive air, but whenever she seemed sad or about to burst into tears, he hurried to cover his face with his childish kisses , making the pite to snatch a sweet smile from him. An annoyed sigh escaped from the child's lips and he awkwardly hoisted himself on tiptoe, crushing his lips on his mother's cheek; and a big smile distorted her face. She gently ruffled her brown locks.

\- « you're wise, okay ? i'll come tonight, after school, to take you home and i'll make you your favorite dish »  
\- « oh, is that true ? » he exclaimed

Impatience pointed into the boy's brown prunes and she nodded briskly; What wouldn't she do for that little boy? She touched her son's forehead for the umpteenth time with her lips and disappeared at the turn of a street; he choked a yawn between his lips and laid his irises on the crowd. His gaze touched the silhouettes, the façade of the academy; Would his mother blame him if, from the height of his six years, he turned around and went back to take a nap in his bed? A growl escaped from his lips.

A little boy, looking a little wrapped, crept to his right and gave him a big smile; her eternal packet of chips in her hands.

\- « yo, Shikamaru » blew the redhead « it was your mother who brought you ? »  
\- « yo, Chôji » greeted « yes, and you, i thought i saw your father ? »

The so-called Chôji nodded, a big smile on his lips; what did he love when his father took him for a walk or accompanied him where he was to go. His brown prunes landed for a moment on the crowd and he smothered a little reassurance between his lips; but it did not escape the boy, near him. In a clumsy but gentle gesture, Shikamaru placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, a small smile on the corner of his lips.

\- « everything will be fine, Chôji, don't worry » he quipped  
\- « i don't like it when there are so many people »  
\- « i know, but i'm here, okay ? »

The brown man knew his comrade's frailties; dealing with so many people was one of them. He would have liked others to realize how exceptional the redhead was; how adorable he was, but they all stopped at his slightly coated figure and amused himself with his weaknesses. A sigh escaped from his lips and he was about to take a step forward when a blonde hairscred before them; a big smile on her lips, in a light dress of a beautiful purple, she clapped in her hands.

\- « go easy, Ino, it's morning » growls the brown « you're way too fit »  
\- « no, that's just you who's constantly exhausted, you have to sleep at night » she gasped  
\- « that's what i'm doing, what do you think ? just, you're pretty excited »

She simply shrugged and turned a brief moment on herself.

\- « have you seen my dress ? She's beautiful, isn't she ? » she said  
\- « i don't like » blew the brown

To the sound of her friend's voice, she stopped her movements and smothered an annoyed sigh between her lips; she should have known that. What an idiot he was; Chôji croaked generously in a crisp and smiled.

\- « i think you're very beautiful, me » quipped the redhead  
\- « thank you Chôji, you are adorable »

And she slashed a wet kiss on her comrade's round cheek. Her bluish gaze lingered for a brief moment on the silhouette of the brown and she was about to say something, surely not very sympathetic, when her prunes fell on something behind him; something that clearly cut him the urge to say anything. Shikamaru frowned, not understanding where this sudden scarlet hue on the blonde's cheeks came from and turned around, her gaze clung to the silhouette of a little boy; in the back of this brown proudly stood the emblem of the Uchiha clan and he stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking up at the sky. A sigh escaped from his lips and he instructed the redhead to follow him into the establishment, abandoning the blonde to contemplation. What did he care about that Uchiha.

**February 20, 1995 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

His bluish prunes lingered for a moment on the features of the sweet face of a brown who was fighting for the umpteenth time with a blondinet; they were constantly arguing, challenging themselves with a lot of idiocy, and yet she felt it, that invisible bond that bound them together.

His forehead, nose, cheeks, lips; when her prunes touched her finely drawn lips, she looked away, a few shades of pink on her cheeks. Fifty boys and she was the one she loved; him and that constantly nonchalant air, him and those incessant "hms" him and his cruel past. A sigh escaped from her lips and she awkwardly slipped her fingers into her blonde locks; a snap of her finger before her eyes drew her from her haphazard thoughts and she arched an eyebrow.

\- « bah then, i've called you twice » he exclaimed  
\- « sorry, i got lost in my thoughts, Yota » she breathed  
\- « say instead that you got lost on Sasuke, Ino » exclaimed a brunette

The redness on her cheeks increased and she gently shook her head from right to left; her crush on the young Uchiha was well known to all, and then she did not really hide from it. She sighed between her lips and sketched a clumsy smile.

They were there, on this bench, in the playground, and they seemed to be the kings of the world at that moment; she felt important to them, she liked the attention they put on her. A few laughs floated in the air and she turned her head, looking for the cause of her laughter, which she knew by heart; his bluish prunes clung to the somewhat red-coated figure and a grimace crept over his face.

\- « fuck, look at this fat, serious » exclaimed Yota, between two laughs  
\- « i feel sorry for him ; does he know it's horrible ? it disgusts me seriously » quipped a young lady  
\- « what a disgusting, he should really be ashamed of himself » added one boy

Their laughter doubled and she scowled on the bench; What could she say, after all? She didn't like the way they constantly made fun of some people, but she never said anything, she didn't prefer; the laughter fell silent and her eyebrows frowned, she raised her gaze towards her friends. Her heart missed a beat when she looked at a brown hair; there he was, fists clenched, and very angry. The redhead, who had been the subject of mockery a few minutes back, stood behind him, slightly trembling.

\- « what's your fucking problem ? Chôji is adolrable, he is a generous and patient boy ; he loves everyone, constantly shares these sweets and never attacks anyone, so what's your fucking problem ? »  
\- « look, your buddy is a fat lard ; that's the problem, you know ? » Yota said, amused « it'd be better if it didn't exist, it would suit me, you know ? »  
\- « because you believe yourself ? You've seen yourself in the mirror lately ? then seriously, do you think i wouldn't be able to help if you didn't exist? you disgust me, you surely think you are better than everyone else, when in fact you are nothing at all ; you're just a rotten, spoiled dirty kid, by his parents, who surely has a complex in his crotch »

An angry glow appeared in the young boy's prunes and he clumsily tried to stick his fist in the face of the brownman; but his body was no longer responding. He could not make a single movement; a smile was born at the corner of the brown's lips.

\- « you can't make a move, can you ? » he breathed « do you feel that you have no control ? do you feel vulnerable ? do you feel my shadow wandering freely on your body ? behind your back ? on your neck ? »  
\- « s-stop, please » stuttered the boy, suddenly frightened  
\- « don't forget, i'm Shikamaru Nara and the next time you go after Chôji, my shadow will do the dirty work;and no one will save you, believe me »

The brown freed his grip on the boy and his ebony gaze clung for a moment to the blonde's bluish gaze, in a corner of the bench; she would have liked to tell him that she was proud, that she was really impressed, but that angry tone in her brown prunes prevented her from doing so. He resented her, terribly; surely because she had not intervened, surely because she had abandoned them a year back for this band of idiots. He turned around and grabbed the redhead's hand in his, pulling it in his wake; no one would hurt him, he was there and he wasn't moving.

**May 13, 1996 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

Hidden in the darkness of an alley, he took an inspiration and squinted; he made a silent gesture to his comrades and without a sound, together they darted. The sudden sound of frantic footsteps in his back pulled him out of his reverie and he turned around, just as a fist was painfully crushed against his round cheek; he choked a groan between his lips and fell to the dusty ground. His instincts were yelled at him to take his legs to his neck, to flee as far as possible, but the alley was a cul-de-sac; a tremor took possession of his body and placed his brown prunes on the group of children. An evil laugh hit the walls.

\- « here, here ; what happened to your boyfriend, the slob ? » exclaimed a brown « you're all alone, i think »

A second laugh floated in the air and he repelled the tears that beaded in the corner of his eyes; a slight trickle of blood flowed from his nose and he wiped it off with a clumsy backhand. One foot struck brutally in his stomach and he cowered painfully on himself; tears rolled down his cheeks, he hated it, that violence that others were constantly showing. Such wickedness lingered on every corner. A blonde hair-raising tried to put herself forward, to interrupt this scene, but she found herself propelled back, in half a second; a growl escaped from his lips.

\- « stop, fuck » she exclaimed  
\- « what are you playing at, Ino ? either you shut up or you join him on the ground » growled Yota, annoyed

A shudder took her, and for a second, a very small second, she crossed the redhead's brown gaze on the ground; he shook his head from right to left, gently, a little smile on the corner of his lips. He smiled in such a situation and it would end him; it made her feel like she didn't intervene, and she did. She hid her face in her hands and choked her sobs between her lips; she hated herself so much at that moment.

Chôji clumsily tried to regain a correct balance, but hardly, even on both feet, did a fist in his abdomen cause him to lose; he crashed to the ground and took two more blows. He would have liked his father to be there, to tell him that he could do it, that he could defend himself; at least Ino wouldn't suffer the same fate. A painful groan escaped from his lips and he closed his eyes, waiting patiently for yet another blow, but nothing came; nothing at all, no pain, no cracking. He opened his eyelids, looking, frightened, for what was going on, but his brown gaze struck on the back of a child; this sign on the top he wore, he knew it by heart, the emblem of the Nara clan. Shikamaru stood upright before him, silent; his brown eyes were burning, he hated them so much.

\- « too cool, i have an account to settle with you » breathed Yota

And without him being able to say anything, the brown's fist crashed brutally against the cheek of young Nara. A tide of blows, in fact; such violent blows. The boy kept hitting him over and over again; as if this violence would avenge him from the affront he had experienced. A smile was born on the corner of the brown's lips when this little thought touched his mind and the fist of his assailant silenced him; the redhead tried to lean on the palm of his hands, to intervene, but a glance from his best friend prevented him from doing so. He cashed silently, without an ounce of fear, without a tear; he was cashing in, blow after the fact.

Breathless, she watched the scene; like the majority of children, in the shot. Surely they had all expected him to burst into tears, to try to fight, but he did nothing, he took the blows; a grimace crept up her lips, she hated this image.

A few tears beaded in the corner of his eyelids and he clenched his fists; again, the brown was between an idiot and he, again, he was defending him. Why was he so weak? Maybe his boys were right, maybe everything would be better if he wasn't there; no, he had no right to say such a thing to himself, Shikamaru was there and took the blows. He had to be brave, too; in a clumsy outburst, he hoisted himself on both feet and swung his foot into the boy's abdomen. And he did not stop as long as one of those idiots were standing. For once, he would be the brave guy, for once he would protect his friends.

Crouched on himself, Shikamaru unleashed a little agonizing groan, his hands placed on his abdomen; his mother would surely kill him, his clothes were stained with a scarlet hue that he did not like. A slight cough nailed him to his seat, but he took it upon himself, leaning as delicately as possible on the palms of his hands; her brown gaze crossed the bluish prunes of the sweet Yamanaka and she held out a hand for him. For a second he looked at his hand; for a little second, then he pushed her away abruptly and stood up, of himself, painfully. The redhead's arm crept around his waist and without a look back, they pulled themselves out of this alley.

**June 2, 1996 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

A growl escaped from his lips and he slipped his arms under his head, his brown prunes were lost in the vastness of the sky, in his clouds that traveled, went wherever they wanted; he admired that ounce of freedom, that fascinating beauty. A packet of crisps crept into his field of vision and a smile was born at the corner of his lips; he leaned gently on the palm of his hand and grabbed two chips, stuffing them in his mouth. He loved those moments they spent together, sitting in that clearing on the Nara estate; where nothing and no one seemed to be able to reach them. Soon they would begin their tenth year and god he thought it was a mess; he was in no hurry to age, compared to other children, he realized that a lot of responsibilities would accompany the freedom of adult life. A sigh escaped from his lips and his back collided with the fresh grass.

\- « you know, Shikamaru, i think you're thinking too much » blew the redhead, amused  
\- « i fully agree with you, my brain never stops »

And his mother kept telling him that he took that from his father; this damn ability to put stuff in his mind, at any time. Sometimes he would sleepless nights, just because of the work his brain was doing. He choked a yawn between his lips and closed his eyes.

\- « Shikamaru ? » called Chôji  
\- « yes ? »  
\- « do you miss her ? »  
\- « who are you talking about ? »  
\- « you know who i'm talking about »

A sigh escaped from his lips and he turned his back on the redhead, trying to take a comfortable position in the grass, despite the hardness of the ground; sometimes he found that the redhead spoke too much, sometimes he found a certain appeasement in the sound of his voice. He simply shrugged his shoulders, as an answer.

\- « i miss her » confessed the redhead  
\- « why are you telling me that, Chôji ? »  
\- « because she is constantly alone ; others have abandoned him »  
\- « that's not my problem, that »  
\- « but it's our friend, Shikamaru »

The brown turned around and sat down, an angry lightning bolt in his brown prunes; What did the redhead expect of him? That he forgives his faults? It wasn't fun, it wasn't a game; how could he pass over all those times when she had not defended the redhead? They had known each other since they were wearing diapers, for a time when he would not have hesitated for a second before defending her; now he was content to defend young Akimichi and that was more than enough for him.

\- « she's not my friend, she's an acquaintance ; the less i'm with her, the better off i'm »  
\- « don't say nonsense, i know very well that you miss her »  
\- « fuck, open your eyes Chôji ; what do you want me to tell you ? that i forgive her ? Never ; let her drop us for a bunch of idiots, okay, but she doesn't say anything every time they tell you horrible things, not ok »  
\- « you know, it's complicated, that ; if you were her, would you have intervened ? »  
\- « of course ; no, in fact, in his place, i would not have left at all beause i would much rather have you as a friend than to have them in my life »

A pink hue crept onto the cheeks of brown; the more they spread out on this subject, the more angry he felt. He was terribly angry at the blonde, he was not sure he would be able to forgive her one day; how could he?

\- « she is all alone, Shikamaru » sadly blew the redhead  
\- « it's not my problem » let go of the brown, in a whisper  
\- « would you be mad at me if i cut my time with you in half ? »  
\- « why could you do that ? »

He clashed with Chôji's gaze; and even before he had said anything, he understood.

\- « i would like to spend time with you and with her ; but since you don't want to, i have to do it like this » explained the redhead

He silenced this little pinch in his heart and hurried to take an impassive air, that air that was constantly dragging on his childish face and shrugged his shoulders; he turned around and lay down in the grass, offering the view of his back to his friend. Although he didn't show anything, it hurt him; he had fought, he had been beaten silently and she had done nothing. Yet she still managed to attract the redhead's generosity; they had grown up together, okay, but that doesn't mean he had to make an effort. Surely he would have preferred to go wide never to meet this girl; but the worst was that he hated himself for having such thoughts because deep down he missed this idiot.

**June 7, 1996 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

\- « i'm in love with you, Sasuke » he heard « go out with me »

With his eyebrows frowning, he delicately laid down his brown irises on the stage that was playing, a few meters from him; he saw the young Uchiha, tall as three apples, turn his heels, without a word. He did not even bother to decline his feelings or the flower she handed him, his hands trembling; he was just leaving.

Hidden in the shadow of an alley, a lollipop wedged between his lips and a plastic bag in his left hand, he did not immediately understand where the anger that vibrated in his guts came from, but when a tear slipped down the little girl's cheek , he darted into the street, abruptly dropping his bag to the ground; in a skilful gesture, he threw himself upon the little boy. His little fists banged against the Face of the Uchiha, but he didn't care.

\- « you think you are, seriously ; at least try to be respectful to her and answer » he growled « you don't deserve her tears, you, bastard »

It was so strange, that force that suddenly emanated from him; the brown, under him, was known for his genius, for being the most gifted of all and normally he should have been able to repel the Nara. But the blows were raining and he was trying hard to protect his face with his arms.

Two powerful arms pulled him back, a few steps from his victim, who was getting up with a bloody nose; for a brief moment, the boy's brown prunes stared at those few drops of blood that crashed on the pavement. What was he taking from him? He was not a violent person, rather the kind of person to run away from trouble; he ran into a hard torso and frowned. A stranger held him firmly against him, a disapproving gleam in his eyes; he looked away, an annoyed sigh choked between his lips, why did the adults feel constantly obliged to intervene? The Uchiha fled without a word and the adult bypassed the brown, catching his face in his large hands.

\- « what took you ? » he growled  
\- « don't touch me » exclaimed the child

Shikamaru pushed this man's hands back and took a step back, his back collided with the frail figure of the gentle Yamanaka, and unconsciously his hand found his own; this sudden heat tore him some appeasement. He didn't know this man and wouldn't let anything happen to the little girl.

\- « i don't intend to hurt you, you know » breathed the adult

In a clumsy outburst, the big brown tried to take a few steps forward, hands in pockets, a nicotine tube stuck between his lips; as soon as he was close enough, Shikamaru's foot tapped brutally against his shin and he smothered a henofed groan between his lips. The next moment, the two children disappeared at the turn of a street; a delicate hand rested on his shoulder and his brown prunes silently confronted the irises of a beautiful purple of a young lady.

\- « what are you doing ? did you forget we're supposed to join the others at the restaurant in five minutes, Asuma ? » she said

The so-called Asuma nervously scratched the back of the skull, some slight redness in the corner of the cheeks.

\- « nothing very important, let's go Kurenai » let go of the brown

A hint of courage in the bowels, he gently grabbed the young woman's hand in hers and drew a smile, pulling her in her wake through the streets of the hidden village of the Leaf. Something was screaming at him that he would see this boy again, very quickly; something was screaming at him that he would have a very important role in his little shinobi existence.

Out of breath, he stopped and clumsily tried to take an inspiration; they had fled and kept running for about ten minutes. The street they were in would take them back to the Nara Estate; a few drops of rain crashed on his brown clothes, on the asphalt, and a growl escaped from his lips. Ino's hand was still hanging around in his, and when he realized it, he hurriedly dropped his grip; grumbling something incomprehensible between her lips, a little pink tint on her cheeks.

\- « thank you » he heard

With an arched eyebrow, he placed his brown gaze in the blue prunes of the young lady; his tears were no longer flowing and he silenced this little voice which told him that it was much better that way, what did he care that she burst into tears. He clumsily wiped his phalanxes lightly covered with a scarlet liquid on the fabric of his pants and passed a trembling hand in his brown locks.

\- « don't thank me » he quipped

The façade of the Yamanaka house was lying around a corner of the street and he pointed it at it.

\- « go home, okay ? » blew the brown

She simply nodded and turned around; surely he was always mad at her, it was not because he had defended him today that he forgave her for his behaviour. With a clumsy backhand, she chased away the tears that beaded at the corner of her eyes and walked gently down the street.

An annoyed sigh escaped from the brown's lips, as he watched his back disappear a little more, as the seconds went by; he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

\- « eh, Ino » he called  
\- « yes ? » she said, immediately turning around  
\- « see you tomorrow » he said

And with a small smile on his lips, he rushed into the house of his clan.

**March 4, 1999 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

A gentle breeze blew into the clearing, bringing the scent of the last rain; he choked a yawn between his lips and his gaze was lost in the clouds of a beautiful white, which wandered in the sky. His back lay comfortably in the fresh grass and his arms served as a cushion; the silence that reigned did him a mad good and he sketched a smile, closing his eyes. This fascination he had for nature and the atlas really took up all his time; a weight was delicately crushed on his abdomen and a sigh escaped from his lips. A vanilla scent crept into his nostrils and he had no trouble understanding who he was; especially when the second that followed was punctuated by the unpleasant sound of a plastic packaging. He opened his eyes and his gaze confronted the silhouettes of his two best friends; Chôji lay quietly in the grass, close to him, crunching generously in his packet of chips while Ino tried to take a comfortable position, using the abdomen of the brown as a cushion. He didn't like girls, but when it came to her, he said nothing; they had known each other since they wore diapers, surely that made her an exception. Then, in any case, he certainly did not see her as a girl.

\- « what's going on ?' he asked, stumbling upon the redhead's saddened gaze  
\- « it's tomorrow » blew the boy, stuffing a potato chip in his mouth  
\- « tomorrow ? » repeated the brown, leaning on his elbows

The redhead nodded, without offering him any further details, and turned his head towards the blonde hair; she looked down, that hint of sadness in the prunes, too.

\- « what is tomorrow ? » blew the brown, frowning  
\- « the composition of the teams, Shikamaru » dropped Chôji  
\- « oh » he murmured, a little hint of sadness in the ribcage

The academy was coming to an end and tomorrow they might be separated; tomorrow they would find themselves in a team and he realized that it hurt him to think that he would not see their boils every day from tomorrow, if they were not together. A sigh escaped from his lips and the back of his skull collided with the grass; he did not particularly appreciate the other teenagers of his generation, how would he do if he found himself separated from these two? A delicate hand caught hers and plunged his brown eyes into the girl's bluish prunes; she smiled at him and hurried lying with the redhead's hand. For a few seconds they looked at each other; one of those moments when they clumsily tried to convey some emotions.

\- « let's make a promise, okay ? » blew the girl  
\- « a promise ? » repeated the redhead  
\- « yes, let us make a promise that no matter what happens, no matter what, the three of us will always be friends ; because if tomorrow we are separated, i promise you that i would be able to plant my team in the middle of a mission if you were in danger »

A nervous little laugh escaped from the blonde's lips and Chôji, in a delicate impulse, ruffled her hair; delighted with this finding. There was a time when she didn't realize how important they were to her, but then no one would take those two idiots away from her. They were his family, and more.

\- « promised » blew the brown, a little smile in the corner  
\- « i too, promised » exclaimed the redhead

A few tears beaded in the corner of the girl's eyes and she drew a smile, settling all the way in the grass, between the two boys; what would she do without them? Her bluish prunes were lost for a moment in the vastness of the sky and she smiled.

\- « on the other hand, i don't promise not to make a scandal if i find myself in a team other than yours » she quipped

The laughter of three teenagers floated in the air and she realized, at that moment, that she would not change her existence if she could; She was there.

**September 9, 2000 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

The clock's incessant ticking ran into the walls; a bitter smell of disinfectant floated in the air and sometimes a few moans of pain ignited around a room. With trembling hands, he was there; his brown prunes were lost in the nothingness of the soil of a beautiful white and he was breathing with difficulty. He would have liked not to be there, not to feel that hint of pain in his ribcage, not to have that guilt that was eating away at his bowels; a growl escaped from his lips and he took his head in his hands, repelling the tears that beaded at the corner of his eyes. He had no right to burst into tears, he had no right; not now, not while his best friend could lose his life from one moment to the next, through his fault. He would have liked to be strong, but he was not. The redhead's slightly silly smile crept into his mind and a tear rolled down his cheek, he chased it away with a clumsy backhand and took an inspiration; it hurt, but he didn't care.

A few frantic footsteps collided with the walls, and in a curious impulse he looked up at the two approaching figures; his brown gaze plunged for a moment into his bluish prunes, there was such suffering in the iris of the girl that he looked away, for the second that followed, as if that contact had burned him. And in a way, it had burned him.

\- « say, what's the point of you biting yourself ? » a young girl, sitting in front of him, breathed « missions require sacrifices, right ? and you've been given psychological training »

Her brown prunes were confronted for a moment with the emerald green that beaded in the iris of the young lady; she had saved his life, a few hours back. Perhaps, without her, he would have died by the time he is; Maybe it should have been that way. A sigh escaped from his lips.

\- « training and practice is different ; i know what a mission, i thought i understood what the world of ninjas was but.. » he took a breath « it was the first time i was in charge of a team and i understood one thing, i'm not made to be a real shinobi »  
\- « yes, it doesn't look like it, but you are fragile ; yes it seems that men are strong » she said  
\- « this time, all i managed to do as a team leader was to trust others ; i was far too naïve, i didn't have the force, it's all my fault »  
\- « you were afraid to stay there, didn't you ? »

He was there, he was clumsily trying to silence his tremors; and she was right. The adults said of him that he was smart, that he was intelligent, that he was capable of great things, but for God's sake, that was not true; he was just a teenager, who dreamed of being under the clouds, in a beautiful clearing. In a slow burst he set about both feet and turned around; hands in pockets. There, at the time, he did not have the courage to say anything; coward was the right time to define his person. His brown prunes faced the ground in a beautiful white, because he had no desire to plunge his gaze into the bluish irises of his best friend or into the ebony marbles of his father. Her elbow came close to half a second at her teammate's delicate hand, but her hand closed in the void; he didn't want to, not now.

\- « Shikamaru » he heard

His father's rauspy voice ran into the walls and stopped the movement.

\- « tell me, when a girl says hard things to hear, you run away ? » the leader of the Nara clan asked, arms folded over his torso, his gaze hard  
\- « i don't like stories, and then, i don't want to have an argument with whoever, for nothing. i'm not a woman, you know » replied the teenager  
\- « but you're not a man either » his father quipped « in fact, you're a coward »

This word between his father's lips took him a slight burst, which he tried so hard to camouflage; there he was, standing in the middle of the corridor and he could feel their eyes on his back.

\- « even if you don't continue on the path of the shinobis, the missions will not stop, someone will replace you and your companions will continue to go on a mission » continued the adult « but under the orders of another leader and if it happens, they will die under his com they might have survived if they had stayed under you. if you learn from what happened, will be a good experience, you could improve on your next missions, if your companions are so precious to you, instead of thinking about running away, set yourself as a goal to become more competent in their own interests, that's what we expect from a companion we can count on, right, you coward? »

Silence followed the sound of his father's voice and his brown prunes fixed an imaginary point on the ground; deep down, he knew it, his father was right. His comrades would continue to take missions, they would continue to come close to death; a tremor took him and this time he did not look to camouflage it.

The scarlet light above the door that looked out over the operating room faded and a rattling resounded in the corridor; Tsunade pulled himself out of the room, a big smile on his lips.

\- « i think this time everything will be fine » she exclaimed « the antidote finally reached where the drugs failed, it stopped the destruction of the cells, thank you for your help, Shikaku; the Nara clan manual has helped me enormously, I imagine the amount of work that this treaty represents for your lineage, it clearly demonstrates the importance of research »

A sound of frantic footsteps broke the Hokage's voice and a brown hair crept up near the adults, breathless.

\- « Tsunade » she exclaimed « Neji Hyuuga is out of danger and I have another news story, Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki have just returned, just now; Naruto was seriously injured during his fight but fortunately his life is no longer in danger. »  
\- « there are only two of them » breathed Tsunade, a faded smile on his lips « Shikamaru, I believe the mission has failed, but everyone is alive, that's what's most important »

The information went up slowly; had she really said that they were all safe? That he would soon hear the unbearable sound of his best friend's packets of chips? Although he had tried to be strong, tears emanated and rolled down his cheeks; in a reassuring impulse, his knees collided brutally on the cold ground and he burst into tears, his sobs resonating in the room.

**September 11, 2000 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

A soothing silence struck the walls of the traditional Japanese house, with a slight step, he went up the corridor; his brown prunes clung to the imperfections of the house, the photographs full of happiness, at this place where he saw himself, barely four years old, taking his legs to his neck while his father chased him for a tender tickling session; that smile that hung on his childish lips, where had he gone? He crept into the doorway and looked ebony at his parents on the porch; his father's head rested gently on the thighs of his mother, who folded some clean cloths. Surely he would miss this image terribly, once he doesn't see it every day. In a spirit of courage, he advanced and climbed up close to his mother, laying his head on his mother's free thigh; she glanced at him surprised, unaccustomed to the tender impulses of his teenage son, but he ignored her, closing his eyes, for a brief moment. Yoshino's thin fingers slipped into his brown hair and a little sigh of ease escaped from his lips; these moments with his mother missed him, he would have liked to be a little boy, over and over again, never getting old.

\- « i made a decision » he breathed, in a burst of courage

The muffled noise his father made told him that he had risen; so he did the same, settling in a tailor on the wood of the porch. Its brown irises were lost for a moment in the blades of grass, in the trees that made the beauty of the Nara estate; this place where a bunch of deer resided, deer that had accompanied him throughout his life. A sigh escaped from his lips.

\- « there's this girl » he began « Temari, the princess of Suna »  
\- « she's a nice girl » her mother cheerfully shouted  
\- « we had a long discussion and I made the decision to follow her to the hidden village of Sable »

A hiccup of surprise escaped from his mother's lips and he turned his head towards her, colliding with this gleam in her eyes; that damn glow she had at the bottom of her prunes every time her father went on a mission, whenever she did not know exactly when he would return and if he would return. A hint of guilt crept into his bowels and he smothered a sigh between his lips; he didn't want to hurt her, but his decision was made.

\- « the mission to recover Sasuke Uchiha opened my eyes ; i'm not for a shinobi, not yet at least and at least in Suna i would learn » he explained « i intend to go to a long training session and I will come back to Mom, it's a promise; I would come back stronger, more gifted »

His prunes were lost again in the trees.

\- « i'm going in three months, i'm sorry ; i still hope to make you proud one day. »

He leaned on the palm of his hand and rose awkwardly; he did not have the courage to face the gaze of his parents, surely he found it pathetic at that moment. His father's strong grip caught him by the wrist and he looked down; in a slow gesture, he clashed with his father's torso, more than surprised. Her mother's arms mingled with the embrace and she slipped a sweet kiss on her forehead.

\- « Shikamaru, we are already proud of you, don't doubt it » said his father's rauspous voice  
\- « you are our little prince and even in twenty years you will always be » added his mother

A smile was born at the corner of his lips and he closed his eyes, enjoying for a moment the embrace they offered him; they were not really good with the displays of affection in this family but there he felt good. He was in his place and he made a silent promise to return; to live up to Yoshino and Shikaku Nara.

**December 24, 2000 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

A good atmosphere prevailed on every corner and it drew a smile from him; he correctly adjusted the shoulder strap of his bag and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He would miss this place terribly; a delicate hand struck his shoulder and confronted the emerald prunes of the Princess of Suna. She gave him a small smile and they walked together in the streets he had known throughout his life; this restaurant of gratmen where Naruto ate constantly, this alley where he had placed himself between a bunch of stupid children and Chôji, this library where he liked to waste his time, the flower shop of Yamanaka. So many memories that put balm in his heart. The façade of the gates of the hidden village of the Leaf slipping into his field of vision and some silhouettes emerged slowly, as he walked; his father stood there, arms folded over his torso, a hint of pride in the prunes. Her little boy was growing up.

No sooner had it been near the gates than his mother's body collided with his, pulling him into an endless embrace under Shikaku's tender eye; surely another day he would have pushed her away because of the world, but he tenderly passed his arms around her waist and buried her face in the cloth she was wearing. He had always found some comfort in his smell, especially as a child when he persuaded himself that a bunch of monsters were living under his bed. A smile was born on his lips at the memory of that time and he laid his lips on his mother's cheek.

\- « everything will be fine, mum » he gasped « i'd come back soon and then I'd send you a bunch of letters with pictures »  
\- « i miss you already » she quipped in an indiscreet sniff

In a clumsy outburst, he pulled himself out of his embrace and cast out his tears that flowed down his mother's tender face; he did not like that glimmer in his eyes, but at that moment he felt that it was the only solution. His brown prunes met with a smile on his father's lips and he scratched the back of his skull nervously.

\- « thank you for everything » breathed the teenager « i-.. »  
\- « never forget that you are my son, Shikamaru » the adult quipped « don't thank me, i will give my life for you; that's what it's like to be a parent, you'll understand one day. »

A smile crept on the lips of the little brownboy and he nodded; his father's hand ruffled his hair and he turned to his two best friends. Chôji tried so hard to silence her tears, and Ino, she looked away, frowning; surely she resented him, they had argued when she heard of her departure. She didn't understand her choice and would surely never understand, but she was like that, Ino; That's all. In a rush of courage, preferring not to burst into tears in front of his comrades, he ran into the somewhat coated body of his best friend and passed his arms around him; he needed that embrace, the last before a long time. The redhead's hands landed delicately behind his back and he drew a smile.

\- « be careful with yourself, okay? » the brown man, with tears in your eyes « no one have the right to say bad things to you, you are Chôji Akimichi; you're the best person in this damn village, you're much more than those words they keep throwing at you, you're you and that's better than anything. »  
\- « what would I do without you, until you come back? » quipped the redhead

Tears rolled down the teenager's round cheeks and Shikamaru clad his forehead with the boy's, gently; they had always had this red thread that bound them, two brothers who had found himself.

\- « i am here, and just because i am miles away from you, in another country, does not mean that I will forget you; you are my best friend, Chôji »  
\- « be careful of yourself, too; come back in one piece, please » blew the redhead

He nodded briskly and took a step back; who would have thought it would be so hard to leave his friends? The redhead's tears still flowed down his cheeks and he did not even seek to camouflage them; it hurt him to be separated from that boy. Her brown prunes confronted the closed face of the blonde and a sigh escaped from her lips; he took a few steps towards her and stopped a few inches away. She was running away from her gaze.

\- « i say goodbye, Ino; pay attention to yourself, okay? » he blew

And he turned around; he understood that she resented him. Probably in the opposite situation, he would have been hurt. A body struck brutally in his back and he failed to lose his balance; her cheeks were tinged with a few pink shades and a sigh escaped from her lips. Really, girls it was downright a struggle. A vanilla scent crept up to his face and his heart missed a beat when he felt the girl's tears in her back.

\- « Ino » he let go in a sorry whisper  
\- « i hate you » she gasped « but come back soon, please »

A smile crept up his lips and he nodded as she walked away; and without a word more, he followed in the footsteps of the Princess of Suna. The wind carried him away from his comrades, from his family; he glanced back and disappeared between the trees. He would come back, it was a promise.

**September 20, 2002 - Hidden village of Sable, Land of the Wind**

In an agile leap, he dodged without an ounce of difficulty the gust of wind that was trying to reach him and sketched a smile; he wiped a clumsy backhand off the few drops of sweat that beaded at the corner of his forehead and bound his hands.

\- « kageyose, invocation of shadows » he exclaimed

A bunch of shadows escaped from his and hurried to block his opponent, who dropped an indiscreet swear word; its shadows twirled on the ground, with the wind, it almost gave an artistic air to the scene. An amused smile crept over his lips and he leapt to both feet, advancing with his hands in his pockets; she was there, caught in her shadows and that angry glow in her emerald prunes only enlarged her smile.

\- « release me, Shikamaru » she growled

He laughed in the angry tone of his voice and nodded; the shadows slowly returned to his feet and mingled with his. The young woman dusted off her clothes and crossed her arms over her chest; she remembered very well their first training, he was there, almost trembling and unable to live up to it. A child put shinobi in the post too soon, but there she had in front of her a young man, gifted; she smiled and grabbed a bottle of water, which was lying near her belongings. She threw it in the air and was not surprised when a shadow caught up with her; his slingy side would surely never go away. The brown woman retrieved the bottle of water and carried it to his lips, wiping the drops of sweat that beaded on his forehead for the umpteenth time; a desert heat was slain over the hidden village of Sable.

\- « how do you feel? » asked the young woman, carrying a bottle of water to her lips  
\- « well, why wouldn't it go? » he blew

This training had exhausted him; he grabbed the swathes of his T-shirt and pulled them up, the fabric made a small muffled sound as it crashed to the floor. The emerald irises of the young woman were lost for a moment on the body of the brown; he had grown up, he had become an attractive young man, who would have believed him? A few rednesses slipped on her cheeks and she looked away, he had not noticed anything.

\- « in two days, you'll be back in your home village » she recalled « doesn't matter to you? »  
\- « i can't wait to see my parents and my best friends » he said, a little smile on his face  
\- « maybe they won't even recognize you » gasped the blonde

With an arched eyebrow, he placed his brown gaze on his own body; of course, surely he had grown up but he could not have changed so much in three years. He encountered the amused gaze of the young woman and a sigh escaped from her lips; she advanced gently and slipped her fingertips over her slightly rough cheek.

\- « your mother may have a heart attack if you show up with a beard »  
\- « you're not wrong, I have to shave » a sigh escaped from his lips « i'm coming home, you're coming to say goodbye to me tonight, at the gates, eh? »  
\- « of course don't panic »

He nodded sharply and retrieved his belongings on the ground, turning at the turn of an alley; she silently watched the boy's back disappear. She wouldn't admit it, but she would miss this idiot; the hidden village of Sand was so cold, sometimes, that the presence of this boy had put balm in his heart.

**September 22, 2002 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

His fist clumsily crashed against the wood of the door and he took an inspiration; was so strange, the way his heart beat terribly fast in his ribcage. He almost felt that he was going to run away from one second to the next; a smile crept up his lips and he startled slightly when a sound of footsteps sounded behind the door. A small tremor took him, perhaps Temari was not wrong, perhaps they would not recognize him; suddenly anguished, he turned around, ready to flee, but the door gave way to a face he knew by heart. His brown prunes collided for a moment with his two scars that blocked his father's manly face, and he said nothing, no sound could come out of his mouth; three long years had gone away and damned what this face had missed him.

\- « Shikamaru » blew the leader of the Nara clan

A clumsy smile, almost embarrassed, crept onto the lips of the great brown and he scratched the back of the skull, nervously; surely he should have warned his parents of his return, but he had this crazy idea of making the surprise.

\- « hi dad » let go of the teenager, in an inspiration

Shikaku stood there, in the embrace and his brown prunes wandered silently over his son's silhouette; three years, that he had not crossed that look which was no longer childish, at that moment. The little boy he had let go had given way to a young man; he took an inspiration and pulled his son into a clumsy embrace. Without a word, Shikamaru's arms slapped around his father's imposing torso and he drew a smile; this sandalwood scent had missed him. A brown hair crept into the back of the large shinobi.

\- « Shikaku, what the hell are you doing? » they heard « the dishes will not be done on their own »

The great brown detached himself from the embrace of his offspring and smiled towards his wife; Yoshino's brown gaze touched the teenager's face and she paused. With his arms dangling, every ounce of anger disappeared from his face; she was there, almost trembling, how long had she been waiting for this moment? That moment when her little boy would walk through the door again? Without a word, she darted forward and in a skilful gesture he managed not to lose his balance; his mother's tears crashed over his torso and he drew a smile. When he left for the hidden village of Sable, he was much smaller than his parents; yet there he possessed a few centimetres more than his mother. She hugged him awkwardly and he hurriedly put a bunch of kisses on his cheeks; far too happy at that moment.

He choked a yawn between his lips and deposited his belongings in his old room; nothing had changed, although he noticed without difficulty that his mother came to clean up, often. This made him smile and he pulled himself out of the room; he went down the stairs and found his parents in the kitchen. His mother hung out behind the stoves and his father smiled like an idiot, watching his wife; the brown stuffed his hands into his pockets and sketched a smile.

\- « watch out, dad, you drool » he said, cheerfully

The effect was immediate; her mother turned around and argued with her husband, with a glance. Shikaku looked away, her cheeks slightly red and a sigh escaped from her lips, this woman would never change. Shikamaru pulled out a chair and settled down at the table; it was strange to be there, but what a nice thing to do.

\- « don't linger too much, we go out, you and I » gasped his father « other people were waiting patiently for your return and although I seem to be a selfish person according to my wife, I would not like to keep them waiting »

A little laugh escaped from the teenager's lips and he nodded, briskly as his mother turned around, again, pointing a menacing ladle at her husband; it was good for him to see that nothing had changed. Because he had been afraid to come back and face a different reality.

The door slaped behind their two silhouettes and he smiled, hearing his mother's voice; although she was in the house and they were in the street arguing with her husband for his lack of delicacy. Shikaku scratched the back of his skull, dropping a "galley"; God that he loved her but god that she was going to kill him, by force. With his hands in his pockets, the great brown man was shooting himself in the streets of this village; a little smile on his face. Lots of memories went up, sometimes even stuff he had forgotten, and his smile only grew when he came face to face with the façade of a bakery; the sign proudly announced "Akimichi Pastries." His brown gaze met for a brief moment with the ebony prunes of his father, and he passed the door; a good smell of gluttony lingered in the air and a hiccup of surprise escaped from the woman's lips behind the crate. She put her hands on her lips, her eyes slightly fogged.

\- « oh brothel » she exclaimed « Chôza, Chôji ; quick, come »

A minute later, the concerned arrived in panic in the bakery; out of breath. This scene drew a smile from brown. The hand of the wife Akimichi slaped brutally against Chôza's back and pointed to the two browns; then the father with the purple locks hurried to shake his son. When the prunes of Chôji collided with his, it was as if the universe stopped turning suddenly; the two boys stood for a moment, observing each other. Shikamaru had left behind a round little boy; he found a young man, round, but strong, it seemed to him almost that he had gained confidence and this thought made him proud. In a slow step, the redhead approached the brown and pulled him into an embrace.

\- « oh brothel » blew the redhead « you came back »  
\- « i told you, I would always come back »

A smile crept over the redhead's lips and he chased away the tears that beaded in the corner of his eyelids; he laid his hands on his comrade's shoulders.

\- « she knows about it » he asked  
\- « if you talk about Ino, not yet » replied Shikaku, his hands in his pockets

He nodded sharply and pulled the brown into a second embrace; He missed that aura.

A few minutes later, they reluctantly left the establishment; but when the façade of the Yamanaka flower shop crept into his field of vision, he soon forgot his disappointment and swallowed. They had parted on bad terms basically, she had told him that she hated him; maybe that was always the case. With a heavy step, he rushed into the shop; Shikaku stood outside, leaning against a wall. His brown prunes wandered for a short time on all these colors, on these flowers that hung around; no one seemed to be present so fast as he had arrived, he tried to flee.

\- « ohayo, welcome to the Yamanaka shop » he heard « how can I help you? »

The sound of his voice drew a shiver from him and he tried to camouflage his face behind a few flowers; with her eyes wrinkled, she accosted herself at the counter and arched an eyebrow. This client seemed strange to him.

\- « sir? » she called  
\- « yes, yes; uh.. » he stuttered « i.. i'm watching »

The young woman pulled herself from behind the counter and walked into the room, trying to understand the strangeness of the young man; as soon as it was a little too close, the brown tried to flee, but spread all along the floor, in an unpleasant noise. A suffering groan escaped from his lips; she took advantage of the situation to pounce on him, settling on his back.

\- « if you thought you could steal something here, you got the wrong shop ; idiot » she growled

And she was about to throw her fist brutally into the brown's skull when he pushed her away, as it was.

\- « wait, it's me, Ino » exclaimed the brown

These words provoked something in her; she stopped all movement and put her hands on her lips. The brown man put a hand on his nose, where a thin trickle of blood escaped and growled; What an idiot. Why did he accept his father's proposal? An umpteenth growl escaped from his lips and in an outpouring of courage he raised his brown gaze towards her; her ebony prunes collided silently with the blue irises of the young woman, and this blue in her eyes took her breath away. She was there and damned what she was beautiful; there was no more little girl, the one he had left behind no longer existed. The young woman's body collided brutally with her torso and he passed a protective arm around her shoulders as she burst into tears; the fact that she was there, in her arms, reassured him.

**25 December 2002 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

There he was, leaning on the railing of the balcony; the dark-skinned shirt he was wearing fit perfectly with his somewhat athletic body and his brown locks fell over his shoulders. There was a time when she really thought he would not return, the months had gone away and he had not returned, she had lost hope; until this day, when he had landed in the flower shop of his clan. She had simply broken down in tears in her arms; she had thought she was losing him, she had thought that he had forgotten him. A delicate hand drew her from her haphazard thoughts and confronted Yoshino's brown gaze; a few shades of pink on her cheeks, she accepted the two glasses of champagne she handed him and rushed to the balcony. A light breeze snatched a shiver from her and she leaned on the railing, sliding one of the blows into the brown's field of view; he accepted it, silently, and carried it to his lips, but as soon as the liquid touched his lips, he grimaced.

\- « oh damn, it's not good » he growled  
\- « you're still a child » she gasped, with an amused smile on her lips  
\- « and i totally assume it, how you can drink something like this »  
\- « i'm used to it, because of the parties that are often held with Sakura »  
\- « are you having a party, seriously? »  
\- « yes; and most of the time, our whole generation comes, it's kind of funny »

A smile crept over the blonde's lips and he nodded; he'd missed a lot in the end. Naruto no longer seemed so silly as before, Sakura had gained confidence, Hinata had become a beautiful girl, Kiba had developed a seductive side; and had he really changed? At times, he felt that his years of absence had put a brake on his relationship with others.

The head of the gentle Yamanaka struck delicately at his shoulder and he smiled; on the other hand, it had only strengthened the ties that united him to Chôji and Ino, it made him terribly happy. She slipped her hand on her forearm and thanked the dark night that hid the redness on her cheeks; she could no longer see him as that little boy she had known, like that brother she had found in him at one time.

\- « i was thinking of something » she gasped, in a burst of courage « maybe we could see each other, you and me, tomorrow; there's a pretty cool movie in the movies right now »  
\- « tomorrow? » he repeated « i can't, i have to see Temari »

This name between her lips pulled a pinch from the blonde's heart; she pulled herself out of the embrace and frowned.

\- « are you going back to Suna? » she quipped « really? »  
\- « no ; she's coming, she's spending the New Year at my house, i thought i told you. »

The great brown again carried his cup to his lips and grimaced, finally laying it at his feet; what an idea for adults to drink a liquid so horrible to taste. He choked a yawn between his lips and his gaze was lost in the vastness of the blackened sky, the stars and the moon.

\- « you haven't told me anything, why is she coming again? » hissed the blonde  
\- « i told you, she spends the New Year at my house, do you listen to me or what? »  
\- « you don't think you've spent enough time with her, perhaps »

Frowning, he turned to her; he should have known that she still resented him for his departure. An annoyed sigh escaped from his lips and he shrugged.

\- « you react like a child there » he quipped  
\- « are you dating? » she asked  
\- « no, she's a friend, what the fucking problem is? »

An angry flame was stirred in her brown prunes, but she did not go away, however; the young woman arched an eyebrow. She seemed so upset at the moment that he didn't understand.

\- « the problem is that you're an idiot » she growled  
\- « i didn't do anything, are you kidding me? » he blew

He was about to say something when the liquid in the young woman's cup hit her face, a growl eluded her lips and he startled slightly when the sound of the door slamming ripped him off at the moment. Why were the girls so bad?

**December 31, 2002 / January 1, 2003 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

A crystalline laughter struck the walls, snatching a pinch in his heart that he did not understand; his gaze was lost in a corner of the room and a growl escaped from his lips. She was there, laughing at the jokes of this brunette and he hated it; a snap of his finger snatched him at his contemplation and he looked brown at the pretty blonde, near him. Temari had given up his kunoichi outfit for a beautiful light dress, a beautiful white and he had to admit it, it was very good for him; himself had put himself on his thirty-one, a seductive dark-skinned shirt and ebony jeans. All the young people of his generation hung out in the room; they were having fun, laughing, drinking, except for him, soda was lying at the bottom of his glass, he really did not like the taste of alcoholic beverages. Delicately, she passed her fine fingers in her brown locks and sketched a smile, amused.

\- « so you'll never change your hairstyle, Nara? » she blew up  
\- « i love this hairstyle ; and my mom says it makes me look great »  
\- « she's your mother, she's bound to think you're beautiful »  
\- « thank you, it's really nice of you, i remember »

The tip of his fingers touched his rough cheek and arched an eyebrow; suddenly she was far too close to him. He held his breath, losing himself for a moment in his emerald prunes.

\- « smile, i think you're very handsome tonight » she let go in a whisper

A smile was born at the corner of his lips and he shrugged his shoulders, laying a chaste kiss at the corner of his cheek; they got along pretty well, to be honest. There was a time when they kept fighting, over and over again, but they had become old and shared quiet moments. Sometimes they would play shôji, both of them or discuss everything and nothing.

An umpteenth laugh resounded, erasing all traces of good humour in his gaze, and he looked up at the sky, carrying his soda to his lips; he felt this fucking anger in his bowels and he didn't even know why. A grunt escaped from his lips and he held off his cup in his hands as best he could, when a blonde hairy, overexcited-looking hairs sprang up behind his back.

\- « sorry, Shika » exclaimed the tall blond « but now is the time »  
\- « the moment, Naruto? » he repeated  
\- « yes, the count ; everyone in the garden »

His overexcited cry hit the walls and soon they all found themselves in the garden. His gaze was lost for a moment in the vastness of the sky, it was his first new year in the hidden village of the Leaf for three years and although he would have liked to be with his parents, his mother had put him at the door. A sigh escaped from her lips and her brown prunes lay on the young woman, who was turning on herself, a few steps from him; she was beautiful, her blonde locks danced with the wind and this light dress she wore, perfectly married her forms. He might have been lost in this contemplation, for decades, if a big brown had not placed a hand in the hollow of the young lady's kidneys. In an angry impulse, he laid his cup on a table, which was dragging and approached an assured approach of the two people; he brutally pushed back the brown and grabbed the young woman's arm with a strong grip. She tried to get rid of her grip, but he said nothing; he pulled it inside the house and did not stop until they locked themselves in a room.

Immersed in darkness, the round moon illuminated the room very little; Ino painfully massaged his wrist and frowned, why on earth had he intervened? He seemed so angry at that moment that a shudder took her. In the garden, the exclamations of joy stuns of their comrades resonated; they were starting the countdown.

\- « ten » they heard  
\- « what are you playing at, Shikamaru? » she blew up  
\- « nine »  
\- « what were you doing with Sai? »  
\- « eight »  
\- « what's the problem? » she growled  
\- « seven »  
\- « do you love him? » he asked  
\- « six »  
\- « maybe well »  
\- « five »  
\- « this guy is not for you »  
\- « four »  
\- « what do you know, seriously? »  
\- « three »  
\- « i know it, damn it »  
\- « two »  
\- « so who is right for me, huh? »  
\- « one »

The lips of the great brown landed abruptly on his, in a clumsy impulse; they were there, at the turn of a guest room, illuminated by the fireworks that tore through the sky. She would have liked to say no to him, but she slipped her arms around her neck, caressing her brown locks and clasped her body; the hands of the brown found their place in the hollow of his kidneys. A clumsy but tender first kiss.

**January 12, 2003 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

\- « but fuck, stop » he heard

A grunt escaped from his lips and he ignored the voice behind his back; he had no time for this nonsense. He choked a yawn between his lips and continued his way through the streets of the hidden village of the Leaf; he had been awakened, two hours before, by the brutality of his mother, all for shopping in a shop on the other side of the village. With his hands in his pockets, he advanced silently; he loved the silence that reigned in the streets in the morning, when no one was yet very awake, it soothed him. One hand closed on a section of his top and he turned around, colliding with the bluish irises he had been trying to flee for several days; since the New Year. She seemed about to burst into tears, breathless; they had exchanged this kiss, in this room and nothing, nothing had happened, he had fled and had simply avoided it. He himself didn't really know why.

\- « stop running » she growled  
\- « i'm not running away » he replied.

She arched an eyebrow; in reality, he was totally on the run.

\- « i need to talk about it, Shikamaru » she said  
\- « i don't need to talk about it » he growled

An annoyed sigh escaped from the great brown's lips and he scowled at himself; he really had no desire to talk about this kiss, basically, what could he say?

\- « you kissed me, Shikamaru ; you kissed me in that room, why? » she asked « why did you say that Sai was not for me? why did you do that? while you spent your evening with the other one there, you think I didn't see you? » she passed a trembling hand in her blonde locks « i don't understand, i'd like to understand; explain to me »

His brown prunes were lost for a brief moment in the blue of his irises; he would have liked to do it again, take his lips against his own, steal a second kiss from him, but something prevented him from doing so. He simply shrugged and looked away.

\- « mendokuse » he let go, in a whisper

Then he turned around and disappeared at the turn of a street.

**July 20, 2003 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

The rain was raining over the village, a cold, almost icy rain; as this heaven wept a loss, too. Tears rolled down her cheeks, tears she did not even seek to chase away; she remembered everything, she remembered the first time she saw this big fellow, a cigarette in the corner of her lips, the first time they had trained, all four of them, the first time he said he was proud of her, of the the first time he had come to collect flowers from his clan's shop for Kurenai; she somuch pushed back a and closed her eyes. She would never see her clumsy and silly smile again, she would never hear her laughter again, she would never smell that bitter smell of cold tobacco again; God he was already missing. Surely he had been more than a master to her, he had been a father; a second father, a role model, a reassuring aura. Her tears doubled on her cheeks and she said nothing when her best friend's clumsy but strong grip crept around her shoulders; she silently clashed with the redhead's prunes and tried to offer her a smile, but the heart was not there. They were both suffering from this loss.

\- « Asuma Sarutobi was, before being a shinobi of my village, a friend ; i knew him on the benches of the academy, that eternal silly look on his face and that cigarette on the corner of his lips » breathed the Hokage « he was a good person, a gifted shinobi, a loving man ; he gave his life for this village and I will never forget it »

She trembled slightly, but held back as best she could; they were not of the same generation, but they had known each other on the benches of the academy, she had run into this little boy, the son of her master. His gaze was lost for a moment in the crowd, they wept in silence; but a young man was missing, this boy who had surely seen in Asuma more than a master, that boy who had witnessed helplessly the murder of this man, whom he loved deeply.

\- « rest in peace, Asuma » she quipped

In a slow burst, she walked away and posted near Kurenai; the young woman wept silently at the loss of a love, the loss of the man she loved. And without really knowing why, or how, she had a thought for Jiraya; What would she do if she lost him, that idiot?

Trembling, Ino clashed with the redhead's torso and clung to his top; the rain was slowly freezing them, but she didn't care, what was she going to do without her master? What was she going to do without Shikamaru? She had seen this glow in the apples of brown, when their master had given her last breath; that glimmer that he was terribly angry at himself, that gleam that howled that part of him had died in that battle. In a tender gesture, the redhead passed his arms around the young woman's waist; because he knew what was in her head. Shikamaru was absent and in a way he was afraid that his best friend would disappear, too.

**September 22, 2003 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

Laughter ran into the walls of the traditional Japanese house, laughter filled with love; laughter that hurt him. Why couldn't he smile, properly, like everyone else? Probably because it was his first birthday without Asuma, without his master and his dubious jokes, without that smell of cold tobacco; a sigh escaped from his lips and he finished his glass of champagne ass-dry. He still did not like the taste, but it seems that alcohol helped in some misfortunes; his brown irises collided with his mother's prunes and he gave her a small smile, she was worried, but he refused to let it happen, that she would see him in a bad state. Although she was unconvinced by her wobbly smile, she accepted without saying anything and turned away, catching the dishes lying on the counter; they had eaten and were about to party. Her son was celebrating his sixteenth birthday, she refused to let anything go wrong; Everything would be fine. In a delicate gesture, he picked up the few empty cups lying around and was about to take them into the kitchen when his father's strong hands took them into his own.

\- « tutut, it's your birthday ; enjoy » blew the rauspety voice of the Brown  
\- « but dad i-.. » began he  
\- « no, shut up, i'll take care of it, have fun; Chôji and Ino are waiting for you in the living room »

A sigh escaped from the teenager's lips and he nodded, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and rushed into the drawing-room; indeed, the redhead waited patiently for her, sitting in a chair, a big smile on her lips, but she did not wait for him. She laughed in Sai's arms, and he pushed that anger back into his bowels; if only Asuma was there. Without a word, he passed by the redhead and pulled himself out of the house, brutally slamming the door behind him; all his friends were there, Naruto danced with a red-cheeked Hinata, Kiba made a fool of himself, Tenten chatted happily with Neji; they were all there, so why was he in so much pain?

His steps guided him through the trees of the dense forest of the Nara clan; strangers were constantly lost, he knew her by heart. From an early age, his father took him among his trees, introduced him to the deer, told him the stories of the clan; God he'd loved his moments, god he missed it. A few drops of rain descended from the clouds and he laid his brown gaze upon the sky; Was his master watching what he was doing? Surely he thought he was pathetic. In a brutal gesture, his back struck a tree and he crept against the trunk; slipping a tube of nicotine between her lips. He needed him, he needed Asuma; he should have protected him, prevented him from being killed, god, he had more than 200 q.i, but had not been able to save the man who meant most to him, after his father. He smothered a between his lips and lit his cigarette with an expert gesture; since the loss, he smoked, constantly. A bad habit, but he found a certain appeasement in that damn smell, in this gesture, in this habit.

\- « what are you doing here? »

The sound of his voice pulled a start and he frowned, his heart beating; his brown eyes confronted the blue prunes of the young woman, and he retained the few words that tried to escape, far from her lips. They didn't talk to each other much, so if he talked in anger, it would be worse, wouldn't he? A grunt escaped from his lips and he pulled a taffe, without a word.

\- « Shikamaru, you shouldn't do that » she gasped « i mean.. smoking »  
\- « get involved in your business » he growled  
\- « you're my best friend, it's kind of my business »

An evil laugh escaped from the lips of the great brown and he clumsily crushed his butt into the wet grass; the rain continued to lash out at them and he did nothing, leaning on the palms of his hands. He clumsily wiped his wet hands over his trousers and laid his brown gaze upon her.

She was really beautiful; who would have thought that this little girl with the annoying looks would become such a beautiful rose? His prunes wandered on this body, on this face, on his lips; was so strange, this constant urge he had to take his lips hostage every time she was in front of him. He would die of envy of a hundred kisses, what an idiot.

\- « you should go back with your asshole » he quipped.  
\- « Sai didn't do anything to you, what's your fucking problem? »  
\- « my problem is you, Ino » he exclaimed

The eyes of the sweet Yamanaka widened to her words and she took a step back. He clenched his fists.

\- « you're pissing me off, okay? » he continued « you are constantly a princess, you think you are beautiful and awesome, but not at all, open your eyes ; you'd like to be extraordinary, but you're ordinary, you're like everyone else, an idiot. do you think i've forgotten all those times you let those bastards tell Chôji that the world would be better off if he were dead? »  
\- « Shikamaru » she let go in a whisper  
\- « go fuck you, Ino ; i never want to see you again, okay? »

Tears rolled down the young woman's cheeks and he held back to take her in her arms; smothering a between her lips, she turned around. One more second, and she would have seen the tears escape from her trembling eyelids; but too late she was gone. He was alone.

**October 7, 2004 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

Short of breath, he clumsily tried to take an inspiration; her brown prunes were lost on the two photo frames that hung out on a corner of her desk. One represented her parents and he represented her team; Asuma's smile on the second drew a pinch from his heart and he smothered a small between his lips. Perhaps tomorrow he would lose his life on the battlefield; maybe tomorrow he'd join his master. Perhaps it was his last night in bed, the last time he would see this house which had seen him grow old; that he would see his mother's smile, his father's prunes. His father; Shikaku was also involved in the fourth great ninja war and it hurt him, he was afraid that his father would not return. How would he do it without him? How would his mother do without him? Shikaku and Yoshino loved each other so much; he had never had trouble recognizing this love that flooded the gaze of one or the other. Tomorrow would be war; in a few hours he would join his comrades. With trembling hands, he pulled the sheet over his body and slipped an arm behind his skull; It hurt so much in the ribcage.

A few blows against the window window pulled a slight start and he frowned, pushing back the sheet that covered his bare torso and jumped on both feet; his brown gaze collided with the bluish prunes of his teammate and he stood for a moment in the middle of his room, watching the young woman standing behind the door. What was she doing at her window? They had not spoken for more than a year, since he had told her to go fuck herself at the bend of a tree in the forest of the Nara clan; surely he had wounded him, more than he wanted, that day. In a slow gesture, he approached the window and unlocked; the young woman crept into the frame and closed it immediately behind her, a strong wind blew over the village. Their eyes were confronted for a moment, for a brief moment, before the young woman's beautiful azure prunes were lost on her bare torso; he grabbed a T-shirt and put it on, quickly. She certainly didn't come for that.

\- « what are you doing here, Ino? » he blew

She seemed uncomfortable, playing nervously with her fingers; yet she did not run away from her gaze, she confronted him with such assurance that it drew a shiver from her.

\- « tomorrow is-.. » she began  
\- « war, i know that » he cut it off  
\- « i-.. »  
\- « why are you in my room, Ino? »

A sigh escaped from the lips of the brown, he slipped a hand into his brown locks, which fell over his shoulders; he didn't understand what she was doing there and it annoyed her. She took a breath and looked down, staring at an imaginary dot on the ground.

\- « i am afraid, Shikamaru » she whispered, in a whisper « i am afraid of losing my father, of losing Chôji, of losing all my friends » she took a breath-taking inspiration « i am afraid of losing you; it's a horrible feeling, every time I close my eyes, I see you at the gates of death and it hurts »

The brown says nothing; what could he say? Surely everyone who would participate in the war tomorrow was afraid of losing someone; all evening he had come face to the gaze of his mother, usually so strong, so powerful, who trembled with fear at the thought of losing her son and her husband. A shudder took him; he hated that look.

\- « i miss you » she added « i miss you not letting go every ten minutes, i miss you not constantly contradicting me, you're not there to do a game of shôji against me anymore and you win ; i need you, Shikamaru, I hate that you are so close and so far from me »

Words escaped from her lips and for once she held none; maybe tomorrow they would lose their lives on this battlefield, she had nothing to lose. The heart of the brown missed a beat; she was there, in front of him, and she was stripping naked, she was talking to him about how she felt.

\- « and the worst part of all this is that two years have passed; two years, but I am still lost because of this kiss, of the new year » she confessed « if I close my eyes and concentrate properly, I feel like I feel your lips against mine, again; do you know how painful it is? Sai is a lovely boy, he loves me and I appreciate him very much; he is kind, tender, he does not smoke, he is not slurd, he is almost perfect, but he is not you, why do I care more for you than for him? it's him, my boyfriend, I don't understand, Shikamaru and it eats me from the inside »

The sound of his voice gave way to silence in the room; his words collided for a moment on the walls of the room and he clumsily tried to take inspiration. She had just said all these things and her heart was beating so hard in his ribcage that he felt he wanted to flee; he took one step forward, yet another, and part of him prayed that she would go away, slam that damn window, and disappear into the night. But she did not move, not a millimeter. The sound of his jerky breathing mingled with that of the gusts of wind outside the house; his brown prunes were lost in that blue he loved so much.

\- « Ino » he called, in a whisper « Please push me away »

The tip of her fingers touched the young woman's waist and breathless, she said nothing. They were so close at that moment that she was frightened that he would hear the frantic beating of his heart in his chest.

\- « tell me no » he blew « do it »

In a clumsy impulse, but in a tone full of courage, he leaned forward, his lips bordering on half a second his own; his breath mingling with his own.

\- « tell me to fuck me » he quipped.  
\- « do it, love me » she whispered.

Her lips touched hers again, but as he was about to flee, she laid her hands in her neck and brutally clasped their lips. A kiss imbued with suffering and overflowing love; their bodies were burning against each other, with passionate shyness. Her thin fingers slipped into the boy's brown locks and she stuck her body to hers, hungry for her warmth; with their eyes closed, they relished that moment. The boy's sudden eagerness tore away a little groan, smothered in a kiss, and she said nothing, when he lashed it against the cool surface of the window; the young woman's hands passed under her top and a shudder took him as she discovered the brown's torso, with a delicate caress. The cloth that covered him fell to the ground in a muffled sound and he captured his lips in a feverish kiss; he was crazy about that feeling.

She stifled her fear of the next day in her kisses, she suffocated her doubts of the future in her arms; she was there and he was getting lost in her, against her lips. His clumsy hands slipped under the cloth that covered the blonde's body and he took it away from her, with a dry gesture; her brown prunes touched this body for a moment. The lips slightly swollen because of their kisses, the body trembling with desire, its nudity; in his underwear, a few shades of pink creaseed over his cheeks as he did not move, getting lost in his contemplation. She tried to put her hands on her body, but he caught them, gently shaking her head from right to left; He wanted it all. He placed a few delicate kisses on his wrists and retrieved his lips in a kiss much softer than the previous ones; suddenly trembling and far less assured, her lips slipped on the young woman's chest. The fabric that covered her breasts fell to the ground and he tasted her sweet skin, shyly; she noticed him and grabbed her face in her hands, caressing her rough cheeks with her fingertips. A sweet smile lingered on his lips.

\- « everything is fine » she let go in a whisper

Three little words more than enough, she laid a chaste kiss at the corner of her lips and crept between the sheets of the brown bed; her ebony prunes were lost for a moment on this body, she would be her loss. He silenced this little voice, which howled at him that it was not a good idea, and crept in turn, against his burning body of desire; her lips found their places on hers, as if they had been designed to catch fire over and over again.

**October 8, 2004 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

The dawn slowly nibbled at the vastness of the sky; the tip of his fingers slipped gently over the young woman's bare thigh and he sketched a smile. They had spent the night in his sheets of a beautiful white, one night loving each other clumsily, losing each other; it had been his first time and it had been his, without an ounce of regret. Her brown prunes were lost for a brief moment in the soft features of her face; she was there, that little smile on her lips, her blonde locks mingling with the folds of the sheet. The memories of the night came back to him and his smile grew; he had felt good, more than good, his body against his, his lips on his own. A metallic sound resounded in the house and drew it from its contemplation; a few blows banged against the wood of his door and a sigh escaped from his lips.

\- « Shikamaru, wake up; it's almost time » he heard  
\- « okay, dad » he quipped

The sound of his father's footsteps disappeared at the turn of a corridor and he encountered anxiety in the blue prunes of the young woman; he slipped his fingertips on his cheek, so soft but she pushed back the sheet. Without a word, she hurried to put back her clothes, which were lying on the floor of the room, and he watched her silently; What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? After that night when they had lost themselves in his sheets, in the passionate abyss of their feelings.

Lips landed on hers, timidly, ripping him out of her haphazard thoughts and she slipped her fingertips over the boy's rough cheek.

\- « don't die, please » she whispered

And without waiting another second, she disappeared out the window. They had loved each other, lost each other, but reality caught up with them; maybe it was their last night. He regretted for a moment not telling her how beautiful he thought she was, how crazy she was driving him.

**October 9, 2004 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

There he was, in his arms; he was there, out of breath, and his heartbeat slowed dangerously in his ribcage. She came up against the emerald gaze of a pink hair and silently begged her to do something; she was not able to lose him, she could not imagine an existence without her brown gaze, on that impassive air on her face. In a clumsy impulse, she smothered a between her lips and pressed it against her; the others had returned to battle, only her and Sakura remained, close to him. She would have liked to blame all those people who said they were their friends, but she knew what was being played; perhaps humanity would disappear tomorrow, no one would dwell on his death to him. Tears rolled down her cheeks, painfully, and she leaned forward; her lips grazing her sweat-covered forehead.

\- « you promised me ; don't die, please, Shikamaru » she said, in a whisper

With trembling hands, she slipped one of her brown locks behind her ear and stroked the features of her face with her fingertips; he was no longer a little boy, he was this young man so handsome, so strong, who made his heart beat.

\- « fight, i beg you » she said.

The rose was quick to do a lot of things, close to them; she was trying so hard to save her life and she hoped it would work. The sweet Yamanaka closed her eyes for a moment; two nights back, she had found herself in her sheets, in her arms, and she had felt good; surely she should have convinced him to flee, both of them, far from this damn war, far from this village.

His lips timidly touched those of the brown, hoping for a reaction, but nothing came; she stuck her forehead to hers, trembling.

\- « i love you » she whispered

She curses herself for having the courage to say these two words to her, in such a moment; maybe things would have been different if she had confessed to him being in love with him before. Perhaps they would have had more time; more memories than those of a night.

**October 11, 2004 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

A sound of footsteps mingled with the metallic sound of a crutch and the brown was posted so much to his comrades; the atrocities of the fourth great war were behind them, but their hearts were still suffering. Her brown prunes were lost for a moment on the letters that danced painfully on the cold surface of the funeral slab. A surface insensitive to the universe, to the people who faced it; quite the opposite of the person who was hanging out, underneath. He silenced the pinch in his heart that he felt and repelled the tears that beaded in the corner of his eyelids; so many men had fallen on the battlefield, sons, spouses, friends, fathers.

\- « Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara, offered their lives for the survival of humanity; they died saving a million lives, heroes » dropped the Hokage « they were faithful friends, two adorable idiots, husbands, fathers; rest in peace, Shikaku and Inoichi »

A desperate cry broke the Hokage's voice and his heart missed a beat; he walked away from his two best friends and joined his mother in tears. She had lost the man she loved, in that damn war; his crutch collided with the damp ground and he slipped his arms around his mother's trembling body, clutching it against him. He would have liked to bring him back, he would have liked to have rushed into the traditional Japanese house with his father, but he was dead as a hero; Shikamaru was the future of the Nara clan and the only person left in Yoshino.

**April 21, 2005 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

A bowl of graters crept over the counter and she caught him, warmly thanking Ichiraku with a smile; uzumaki's laughter filled the room and she clashed with the emerald prunes of a pink hair. Her best friend seemed happy, close to the blond; peace reigned over the world and gently the soul-sisters lay. In a delicate gesture, she brought a piece of meat to her lips and crunched generously into it.

\- « hey, it's Shikamaru, right ? » she heard

She tried so hard not to swallow the wrong way and frowned; the fourth great war was over, but the losses had left a legacy. The young Nara followed up the increasingly dangerous missions and fled everyone; his bluish prunes landed on the silhouette of the brown, who waited patiently in front of a rather chic restaurant. Naruto made a move, surely in order to join him, but the rose's hand on his forearm prevented him from doing so; she pointed to something and frowned.

His heart missed a beat; she was there, that big smile on her lips. She placed her lips on the brown's cheek and he smiled at her; that smile that snatched a pinch from his heart. He put an arm around the blonde's shoulders and guided her inside the restaurant; so that was it, Temari was the light in the darkness of brown.

**August 2, 2005 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

His fist suddenly crashed against the wood of the door, and when the brown-coloured plank gave way to the young woman's features, he hurried into the apartment; surprise, she gently closed the door behind him and the next second, her back hit the wood abruptly. Her bluish prunes were caught by the boy's brown irises and she says nothing; there were so many emotions in his eyes that it took his breath away. The brown's lips crashed against hers and she gave in to passion, slipping her hands behind her back; she pulled on the garment he was wearing and the cloth crashed to the ground in a muffled noise. The sound of their jerky breaths ran into the walls of the apartment and she slipped her fingers over her muscular torso; who would have thought that such a slob would have such an athletic body? She lost her mind, in her arms; in its cold tobacco scent. The top she was wearing soon joined the fabric on the ground and he melted on her breasts, laying a pile of kisses on her bare chest; he was there and he was literally driving her crazy.

She passed a hand in her brown locks and bowed to the boy's caresses; with a brutal gesture, he put his strong hands on his buttocks and lifted it up. The pale-skinned legs of the young lady clung around her waist and her lips kissed against hers, he searched for the room; fortunately she lived alone. Her body collided with the mattress and she drew brown on her; she took him off his pants and threw him into a corner of the room, a smile on the corner of her lips. Her fingers slipped on the boy's rough cheeks and she captured her lips, in a passionate kiss.

In a skilful gesture, she pushed him to the ground and settled on top of him; all innocence had disappeared by that moment. They shared a delightful embrace, a moment of intense pleasure; something that would remain engraved, a long time in their memories.

**August 3, 2005 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

The tip of his fingers slipped in extreme softness on the boy's features, in his sheets; they had made love, over and over again, they had been lost in a night of degrading and passionate taste. Her lips stretched out in a sweet smile and she stole a kiss from him, one more; why every time she was in her arms, she felt so good? The brown's hands rested on his shoulders and he pushed it away, gently; he threw the sheet into a corner of the bed and put on his pants, which were lying on the floor. His hands were lost in his brown locks and a sigh escaped from his lips, what had he done?

A delicate hand rested on his shoulder and he encountered the blue prunes of the young woman; he had got lost in his sheets, why? He pushed her away gently and put himself on both feet, hiding the view of his torso from the top he was wearing a few hours earlier. The sound of their frolics still resonated in the room.

\- « what's going on, Shikamaru? » she asked

For a second he remembered that moment when she broke down in tears in the street; after Sasuke Uchiha planted him there, when she had just told him of his feelings. A scene that haunted him for years. He had felt so strong at that moment, to bring down the genius of the academy; he avenged the tears that had rolled over the little girl's eyes, but then, right now, who would avenge the ones he was about to sink? He hated himself for it.

\- « Temari kissed me » he confessed

A burst of sadness passed through the apples of a beautiful azure of the young woman and her heart missed a beat.

\- « she kissed me » he repeated

In a slow, pain-filled gesture, she wraps the sheet of a beautiful white around her naked body. Tears rolled down her cheeks, tears which she did not sought to camouflage; she grabbed a pair of shoes that hung out on the floor of her room and swung it brutally in her torso. She was in pain, so much so; he was there, so beautiful, and she loved him so much, for God's sake.

\- « go » she let go in a whisper

He came up against the young woman's suffering gaze and cursed himself for it, for the evil that was constantly doing to her; why didn't he have the courage to tell her that Temari was not her? That when their lips had touched, he had felt nothing? His father was right, he was a coward. The blonde's hands suddenly lasped against her torso and she pushed him.

\- « i said, go » she exclaimed

With his eyes fogged, he gave up painfully and pulled himself out of the apartment; her knees collided brutally on the ground and she choked a between her lips. They were so far away and yet so close.

**August 4, 2005 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

The sound of his frantic footsteps ran up against the facades of the houses; on the edge of apoplexy, she tried so hard to reach the village gates. The seconds flew away and the beating of his heart in his ribcage hurt terribly; she failed to lose her balance, bumping into the shoulder of a passer-by. Tears appeared at the corner of her eyelids and she held them as best she could; she loved him, terribly. She, Ino Yamanaka was terribly in love with this idiot Shikamaru Nara and she had to tell him, before he left, away from her; she had learned a few minutes back, from this talker of Naruto, that the brown was going to the hidden village of Sable, in the company of the Princess of Suna. She refused to let it happen like this, that they leave each other on tears, on regrets; she refused to let them leave at once, yes, she had planned everything, she would come to the gates, yell at him that she loved him, howl to him that he was the only one, and they would love each other passionately.

Her heart missed a beat when the façade of the doors crept into her field of vision and she doubled the cadence, her shoulder hit someone abruptly and a grimace crept on her lips. She massaged her painfully and laid her bluish gaze on the person in front of her; the woman's brown prunes automatically reminded her of brown.

\- « Ino, what are you doing here? » she asked  
\- « Yoshino » she began « i.. Shikamaru? »

A burst of sadness passed through the woman's irises and she took a step back, as tears rolled down her cheeks; no, it was not possible.

\- « he's gone, Ino » blew the boy's mother

Her knees brutally hit the hard surface of the ground and she burst into tears; Yoshino's arms closed around her frail, trembling body and she clung to her. It was too late; she had lost it.

**December 24, 2007 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

Her lips met her boyfriend's lips delicately and she rubbed the tip of her nose against hers, lovingly; she slipped her fine fingers into her brown locks and sketched a smile. The slightly overexcited bursts of voice echoed in the house, and when the bell of the main door struck the walls, it did not move; she was there, comfortably seated on her lover's lap. He looked at her with this tenderness in his eyes, a tenderness that made her completely melt; she captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

\- « hey, friends, I have a fucking surprise » exclaimed a blondinet, overexcited  
\- « still intend to pull down your pants in front of everyone, Naruto? » dropped a pink hair

The blond nervously scratched the back of the skull, a few shades of pink on the cheeks; he stole a chaste kiss from the young lady and apologized again for her behaviour at the last party. A drunken Naruto was a Naruto very comfortable with his nudity; she sketched a smile and nodded. He clapped his hands, brutally.

\- « ladies and gentlemen, a thunderous applause for Shikamaru Nara » he exclaimed

This name in the lips of the young Uzumaki pulled a slight start and she widened her eyes, no, it was simply impossible; he had fled, two years back. She turned her head, in a slow burst, ignoring the anxious calls of her boyfriend and her heart missed a beat; his bluish prunes landed on the silhouette of the great brown, who was lying in the arms of a redhead, somewhat wrapped.

There he was, about ten centimetres more, that smile that made her melt on her lips; and although she had turned the page, she suddenly found herself out of breath. His teenage face had given way to adult features and this slight brown beard made him terribly attractive; for a moment she crossed her ebony gaze and she thought she was dying on the spot. He smiled at him and turned away; yet she was almost sure she had seen a burst of sadness in her irises, for half a second.

A snap of her finger brought her back to reality and she gave a sorry little smile to her lover, climbing into the chair near him as she spent half the evening on her lap; but he said nothing, not even noticing the state in which she was, and approached the brown to greet him, warmly.

With a smile on his face, he choked a yawn between his lips and tapped into the blondinet's hand; they had just played several games of babyfoot, against a team composed of Lee and Chôji and had won. He ruffled the boy's blonde locks and rushed into the kitchen, looking for yet another beer in the fridge; his friends had missed him, the people of the hidden village of Sable were not so warm, was sad.

When he closed the door of the fridge, he encountered the bluish prunes of his childhood friend; the teenager had given way to a beautiful young woman and he would have been breathless, for half a second. There she was, particularly beautiful, and he sketched a small smile on the corner of her lips; scratching the back of the skull, nervously. They had parted on the wrong terms, after all, and he had fled, he had tried to rebuild his life away from her, far from the temptation that she was.

\- « you're back » she gasped  
\- « yes, i missed the village »  
\- « i didn't see, Temari »

A little grimace crept over the boy's lips and he nodded.

\- « it didn't work, i broke up » he confessed

The days had gone by and where he had grown a healthy love, he had found a clumsy friendship; he still remembered the tears that had rolled over the cheeks of the Princess of Suna when he declared that he did not fall in love. They had tried again and again, but she was not the right one; Ino simply nodded and disappeared into the main room.

**December 25, 2007 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

He choked a yawn between his lips and arched an eyebrow; the next moment, his shadow spun in the wind, straight towards the young woman's shadow, a few meters from him. A swear word escaped from the blonde's lips and she stopped all movement, he gently caught up with her, hands in pockets, an amused smile on the corner of her lips.

\- « you were walking too fast, you had to wait for me » he said.  
\- « release me, Shikamaru » she growled  
\- « i'm doing what your boyfriend asked me to do, i'm taking you home, so stop getting so early »

A slight grunt escaped from the young woman's lips and she nodded; he loosened her grip and she silenced the shiver that took her. A scent of cold tobacco floated in the air and suddenly she felt soothed; his bluish prunes confronted his face. He walked silently, his brown irises lost in the vastness of the sky and damned what he was beautiful. That damn hold he had over her would be his loss one day; an umpteenth shudder took her and she looked away.

In a gentle impulse, he laid his jacket on the young woman's shoulders and sketched a small smile; she accepted it and stuffed her arms into the wide sleeves of the garment. For a brief moment their eyes confronted each other; she lost herself in the brown of her eyes. Why did she always give in? Delicately, he grabbed her jaw and suddenly nestled her mouth in hers; helpless, caught in a whirlwind of contradictory feelings, she says nothing. An umpteenth shudder took her when the boy's tongue stroked hers; why did she only feel this way with him? They parted with their breath.

\- « Ino » he let go, in a whisper

Her rausptable, breathless voice snatched a shiver from her, and she forgot the reason, the situation; she gently caught her hand in hers and pulled him into a dark alley. Their lips were found for the umpteenth time and she slipped her hands over the boy's muscular torso; God he had missed him.

\- « love me » she blew against her lips

The heart trembled, he nodded; and with a clumsy eagerness, dropped the jacket which he had put on his shoulders a few minutes back, to the ground. In the excitement and lack of time, they did not waste time; she untied the brown belt and dragged her trousers along her legs; the underwear followed and she touched her manhood with her fingertips. She needed him and he needed her.

**December 30, 2007 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

In a wave of pleasure, their two bodies tightened and their lips found themselves, in a brutal impulse; smothering the moans that escaped from their feverish mouths. He collapsed on the mattress, panting, after yet another passionate stroke of the kidney and slipped an arm over his skull; a body collided with his and a sweet vanilla scent floated in the air. A smile was born at the corner of his lips and he wrapped the body of the young woman, tenderly, laying a few kisses on her forehead; the tip of his fingers fondled his cheek tenderly. His brown prunes searched for the blue irises of the young woman, he was desperately waiting for the meeting of their eyes because the truth was that he was totally addicted to this blue in his prunes. In a slow gesture, she pulled herself out of the embrace and crept out of the sheets; he leaned on his elbows and raised the top of his torso.

\- « Ino? » he called « what's going on? »

The sound of her raucous voice pulled a slight burst, which she camouflaged; she clutched the sheet of a beautiful white against her naked body, in a trembling impulse. His gaze clung to one of the photographs that hung proudly on the brown's desk; they were there, barely twelve years old, with a big smile on his lips and Asuma, in the background, seemed so happy to be there. He missed his master, perhaps he would have found the right words.

\- « Ino? » he called again

For a second she remembered that moment when she broke down in tears in the street; after Sasuke Uchiha planted him there, when she had just told him of his feelings. A scene that haunted her for years. He came out of nowhere and hit the brown, defending her passionately when they were no longer even friends; he had screamed that the Uchiha did not deserve his tears, but did she deserve the tears of the brown, still naked, in his sheets?

\- « Saï proposed to me » she said in a painful whisper « he proposed to me and i said yes, Shikamaru, this thing between us is over »

The universe around brown suddenly collapsed; what an idiot, he had thought that those little moments when they were both together meant something. A few tears pointed to the corner of his eyelids and in a slow gesture he pushed back the sheet that covered his nudity; catching shorts lying on the floor, he put it on. She did not dare to face her gaze, because deep down she knew; she didn't deserve her tears.

\- « i would like you to be my best man » she added

A escaped from the brown's lips, in spite of himself; and that sound took his breath away. He cried, he cried because of her; he tried to take an inspiration, but it was far too painful. He cast away his tears from a clumsy sleeve lapel and grabbed the dress, which was lying on the floor; he swung it without an ounce of softness in the back of the blonde.

\- « go » he blew

Without a word, she pushed back the sheet and hid her nudity with the dress; her bluish irises landed in the boy's brown gaze and she made no movement. It was so beautiful, so perfect that it killed her to turn around; her whole being demanded it, but she had no right, this toxic and nameless relationship between them was not healthy.

\- « i said, go » he growled

With her eyes fogged, she gave up painfully and pulled herself out of the house; the tears rolled down her cheeks, hardly had she passed the doorstep. The boy's fist suddenly crashed against the wall of his room and he smothered a between his lips; they were so far away and yet so close.

**March 18, 2008 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire **

The tip of his fingers delicately touched the red coat of the deer and a smile was born at the corner of his lips; the animal gently rubbed against the palm of his hand and said nothing when a brown haircred near him. Yoshino may have been a Nara only by marriage, but the forest animals accepted it, without an ounce of difficulty; she gently crushed the tip of her fingers on her son's rough cheek. The more the years passed, the more he resembled his late father; this man whom she loved and would love, until the end. The brown closed his eyes, at this contact and took advantage of the moment; since when had he not experienced a real tender gesture? His heart was bleeding in his ribcage, but he kept his face; she grabbed the boy's chin between his fingers and silently confronted their glances. She knew him by heart; something was missing in the bottom of his irises. A sigh escaped from the woman's lips and she laid her head on the shoulder of the man she had given birth to.

\- « tell me Shikamaru » she blew

At first surprised, a smile crept to the corner of the brown's lips; it is true, he was not really good at hiding things from his mother, she always found when he tried to make it seem the opposite of what he felt. A sigh escaped from the boy's lips and his ebony gaze was lost for a moment in the vastness of the sky; he missed his father, that big, clumsy fellow, but so strong, so powerful.

\- « i fell in love with her, the year I was nine years old; I was crazy about her, but I persuaded myself otherwise, and then I saw her, in the shop, behind the counter that day. she was no longer that little girl I had defended as a child, she was a terribly beautiful girl » he said with courage « i tried to run away from it, I swear to you, mom, but when I saw her with him, on New Year's Eve, I lost my footing; I kissed her and I liked it » a sad smile crept on his lips « but I fled ; she is my first kiss and my first time and I try to be away from her, what could I offer her good, damn it. but every time I fall back »

Words escaped from his lips; he no longer had the courage to pretend.

\- « i fall in love with her again and again, in her smiles, in her laughter, in her eyes, in her body; I am madly in love with her and she is about to become his wife, to him. i lost it because I did not have the courage to love it; because I was afraid i wouldn't be up to it »

His mother's hands closed gently on his own and he plunged his ebony gaze into his; he had always found a certain appeasement in the prunes of this woman, in her childhood she was able to calm her fears, her doubts, with one glance. She stroked her rough cheek with her fingertips and smiled.

\- « what if you stopped being a coward, Shikamaru? » she gasped « what if you got up right now, you'd go to her house and tell her what you just told me ? never run anymore, find her »  
\- « but, she doesn't love me pa-.. »  
\- « Ino loves you » she cut it off  
\- « how do you know it's her? »  
\- « i am your mother, don't forget it ; find it, it's not too late »

These few words gave rise to a hint of courage in his bowels, and he nodded sharply, he pulled his mother against his torso, in a clumsy embrace, and threw himself on both feet; with a quick hand gesture, he darted through the trees, his heart beating. His mother was right; he would go on his doorstep, camp in front if he had to and tell her everything, he would tell her that he was madly in love with her, would tell her that he dreamed of a long life with her, that he wanted to wake up near her every morning; he would promise him that they would be happy. Because they would be, they would be happy; they loved each other.

The façade of his clan's traditional Japanese mansion crept into his field of vision and he was about to make his way out when he brutally clashed with someone; a growl escaped from his lips and his brown prunes collided with the emerald irises of a young lady, whom he knew well. She painfully massaged her shoulder and gave him a bad look.

\- « what are you doing here, Temari ? » he gasped, breathless  
\- « i had to see you » she confessed  
\- « no worries, but now i really have to, but really go »  
\- « Shikamaru, it's really important »  
\- « but this too, it's important » he growled

An annoyed sigh escaped from the blonde's lips and she suddenly pulled on the belt that properly held her kimono; the cloth fell to the ground in a muffled noise and he confronted the young woman's unusually round belly.

\- « i'm pregnant, Shikamaru » she breathed « your baby »

**March 23, 2008 - Hidden Leaf Village, Land of Fire**

The exclamations mixed with the sound of applause drew him from his haphazard thoughts and he encountered the smile on his lips; he would have liked that smile to be for him, that he was there near her, he would have held her hand and kissed her to the overexcited applause of young Uzumaki. What a sweet dream; a second tear rolled over his rough cheek and he wiped it off with a clumsy backhand. His lips touched his mother's forehead and he took advantage of the general excitement to flee, again; the sound of his footsteps resonated for a moment in the air, for a brief moment, where he imagined his existence if he had had a little courage. What would his existence have been if he had the courage to say "I love you" to him, if he had the courage to take his hand, if he had had the courage to put a knee to the ground?

\- « w-wait » he heard

With trembling hands, he stopped in the middle of the corridor; unable to take one more step. He silenced the he took and said nothing, the sound of his voice ran up against the walls; damn what he loved his voice, that voice that had so many times lectured him, which had so many times whispered sweet words to him. In an outpouring of courage, he turned around and placed his brown gaze on the young woman: breathlessly, she held the swathes of her white dress in her hands, a few shades of pink hung on her cheeks and he felt a pinch in his heart , in front of this image.

Slowly she broke the distance between them; one by one, her steps always brought her a little closer to this boy whom she was madly in love with, since her earliest childhood. She had planted her husband at the altar, after they had been declared husband and wife, and she knew that she had very little time; all the strength she had put into her, so as not to burst into tears, evaporated when she encountered the sadness that flooded the gaze of the great brown.

\- « i give it to you » she gasped, in an embarrassed outburst

She slipped the bouquet of white roses under the nose of the brown; in a clumsy gesture, he caught her in his hands and a painful shudder took him when his fingers inadvertently touched those of the damsel. Tears rolled down her pink cheeks and he would have liked to dry them, make her smile, but it was too late, he had lost it, he no longer had that right; she tried awkwardly to smile, but failed.

\- « thank you for everything, Shikamaru » she quipped

In an outpouring of unspeakable suffering, she turned her heels and walked up the aisle that would lead her once again to the man to whom she had just said yes, in front of a hundred people; abandoning behind her, the man with whom she was madly in love. They were two pieces of the same star, fascinating, beautiful, but too fragile for this universe.


End file.
